"Write without fear, edit without mercy." ~ Anonymous

WHY the Rebel Writer???

Merry early Christmas Reader!!

I hope you're having a wonderful December (except when, like me, you have school to catch up on, in which case it partly drudgery 😒)

You mayyyy have been wondering why on earth I called my newsletter "The Rebel Writer".

Don't worry, it's a lot less complicated than you might think. 😜Christian writers who base their stories on truth are pretty much rebels in the culture's eyes.

I love writing stories that take this to the next level by asking difficult questions and creating characters who aren't afraid to seek for the true, the good, and the beautiful in their broken world.

Okay, plus maybe I do get a kick out of carefully flipping tropes and genres on their heads and mashing them up to create original stories as well 😂

Writing Updates ✒️

This month I've been working on a lot of outlining for Mountain of Secrets and completed an official blurb which I'll be able to share in the next newsletter!! Warning: it has changed very much from its Grow Magazine days lol

I also found an amazing mentor for my flash fiction!!! I've been practicing it a lot lately so expect some coming your way very soon.

BUT. I also have a secret project.... I can't tell you too much at the moment, but I'm working on a short story that could end up going farther than any other of my writings so far. I'll keep you updated (unless the below occurs), and the news should be out by the end of February 😎

If you hear nothing more about it.... expect me to have disappeared on this dangerous quest. 🐦‍⬛

Ydubs Happenings 🎉

Don't worry that's a joke plus my sarcasm 🤣

The Author Conservatory, which is kinda like the big sister of Ydubs for very serious writers ready to pursue publication, just released a new anthology with short stories by their students!!

I've read the first two anthologies, and I have to tell you they contain some of the most amazing short stories I've ever read. If you want to snag yourself a copy and support these aspiring authors, here's the link! I'd love to know if you buy a copy < 3 My review will be coming in the next monthly email ✨

I would also like to tell y'all about my wonderful friend Jessica Brown's newsletter!! Let's just say she's the reason I ever believed that being a young author was possible 💖

She writes beautiful poetry and historical fiction and her newsletter has the most amazing cozy feel 🥰 You can also get a copy of her amazing short story, Mail Order Misgivings by signing up here!!

Book Review 📚

I picked this book because it is one of my favorites of all time.

I also picked it because you can learn a whole heap about what I'm trying to do with my writing just by reading the description.

It has relatable characters (literally indispensable)

It also mashes up fantasy and science fiction beautifully (I loveee genre mashups like crazy)

And it's a good book.

Okay, okay I guess that doesn't count. Plus the relationships and themes are *chefs kiss*

And it is a very daring story 😂

This novel is...

A Wrinkle in Time by Madeline L'Engle

I do have my issues with some of her other books. And I have to admit the first time I read this as a kid I was not a fan. But it grew on me a lot.

The way she mixes Christianity and evolution is a little questionable at times, but hey, in my opinion, you have license to do that with sci-fi + fantasy as long as it points back to the truth.

Here's the blurb if you haven't read it yet:

It was a dark and stormy night; Meg Murry, her small brother Charles Wallace, and her mother had come down to the kitchen for a midnight snack when they were upset by the arrival of a most disturbing stranger.

"Wild nights are my glory," the unearthly stranger told them. "I just got caught in a downdraft and blown off course. Let me sit down for a moment, and then I'll be on my way. Speaking of ways, by the way, there is such a thing as a tesseract."

A tesseract (in case the reader doesn't know) is a wrinkle in time. To tell more would rob the reader of the enjoyment of Miss L'Engle's unusual book. A Wrinkle in Time, winner of the Newbery Medal in 1963, is the story of the adventures in space and time of Meg, Charles Wallace, and Calvin O'Keefe (athlete, student, and one of the most popular boys in high school). They are in search of Meg's father, a scientist who disappeared while engaged in secret work for the government on the tesseract problem.

I highly recommend this book y'all. It's a gem and a classic and no mistaking 💎

My Gift to You🎁

I did promise you guys some poetry...

But everything I've written was pretty personal, so I won't be ready to share it yet for a while 😅

However, I do have another little piece of flash fiction that originated as a practice piece for writing action scenes.

I developed it a lot and now it's become one of my favorite pieces I've ever written.

You can click this button to find out why 😜

Bye special peeps!! See you in two weeks for a special email (or not. if I get kidnapped on my mission) 💖

-Love, Sophia